


To Have and To Hold

by wesleycrushers



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake Marriage, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-04-28 12:58:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5091626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesleycrushers/pseuds/wesleycrushers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To Have and To Hold </p><p>A Steve/Tony fanfic </p><p>In which, due to Asgardian tradition, lots of Asgardian mead, and a serious error in judgement, Steve and Tony end up getting married.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony wakes up with a killer hangover. Not just a normal killer hangover either, but the real feeling that if he doesn't get some sort of extra-strength aspirin into his system as soon as possible he will actually die.

So, a normal Monday.

He manages to get up, the hangover increasing with every movement. He presses a button on the control panel near the door, and a bottle of Perrier and two orange pills pop out.

"Yes." Tony mumbles, downing the pills. He closes his eyes for a moment, letting the ibuprofen do its job. As soon as he feels relatively human, Tony pulls on a pair of pants and heads out to the common area of the Tower.

Which is a mess. Bruce, wearing nothing but loose fitting shorts is sprawled on the floor, a bottle of _something_ in his hand, and seriously who let the Hulk drink? Natasha is propped on the couch, drooling on Clint who also has what appears to be the same bottle. There is no sign of Steve, Sam, or Thor.

"JARVIS, prepare four doses of my hangover cure and start making bacon." Thor can't get drunk off of earth alcohol, and the serum keeps Steve from getting drunk as well.

"Yes, sir." The disembodied British voice answers. Almost immediately three more bottles and orange pills appear on the island in the kitchen. The fourth, Tony knows, will be in Sam's room. Bacon starts to sizzle on the stove.

"Hmm? Wuzzapnig?" Clint slurs, gently pushing Natasha off of him. Tony hands Clint the hangover cure, which Clint takes without question.

"Breakfast will be ready soon." Tony hands Clint a cup of already brewed coffee, courtesy of the "there is always coffee all the time no matter what" contingency Tony had programmed into JARVIS on the second day of living with the team. Clint nods and takes a large sip.

"You're making breakfast?"

"JARVIS is making breakfast."

"Right." Clint shrugs, and takes another sip. Natasha and Bruce stagger over to the kitchen, were Tony gives them both the Perrier/pills combination.

"What happened last night?" Bruce asks, graciously accepting the first round of bacon. Clint grumbles under his breath, and Natasha snatches a piece while Bruce's back is turned.

"Not sure. JARVIS play back security footage from the party last night." Tony places a plate in front of Natasha, ducking to avoid Clint throwing a bottle cap at him.

"I am unable to do so, sir, as there was no celebration here last night."

"What? Then where was the party?" Tony finally gives Clint a plate.

"I believe you all came back from Asgard at around one o'clock in the morning, sir."

"We partied in Asgard?" Clint mumbles from around a mouthful of bacon.

"Apparently." Tony took his own plate.

"FRIENDS!" Thor's booming voice echoed through the room, followed by the Asgardian himself. "A most wonderful time was had last night."

"Yeah, about that. What exactly happened last night, buddy?" Tony steps aside, letting Thor grab the entire coffee pot.

"A great revelry. Dancing, drinking, feasting. The Man of Iron and the Captain were wed, the Hulk wrestled three of our bravest warriors at once, and the Falcon-"

"Wait, what was that first one?" Tony almost drops his plate.

"You and the Captain were wed, in the traditional Asgardian style."

"You mean Tony and Cap got married?" Clint turns to Tony, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Indeed. It was truly a lovely ceremony." Thor helps himself to a heaping plate of bacon. Tony sat down, draining the rest of his Perrier in one go, then reaching for the new pot of coffee.

"How did that happen?" Bruce turned to Thor, who smiled.

"Tony proposed to the Captain, who accepted and then suggested that they get married immediately. I suggested an Asgardian ceremony, and you both agreed. The Hulk served as best man. The Falcon cried."

"Cried about what?" Sam asks as he walks into the kitchen, holding a half-empty bottle of Perrier.

"Tony and Steve's wedding." Natasha hands Sam his plate.

"What?" Sam sat down next to Tony.

"Apparently we all went to Asgard last night, and Steve and I got married. Which is unlikely, because even if I did get drunk enough to propose to Steve, there's no way Steve could have been drunk enough to say yes, unless he had been drinking the Asgardian mead... Oh shit." Tony hopped up, rushing towards the elevators. "JARVIS prepare another dose of hangover cure."

"Yes, sir."

Tony got into the elevator, pressing the button for Steve's floor. The super soldier was there, when the doors opened, squinting at the light and grumbling. Tony handed Steve the cure, which Steve swallowed immediately.

"Thanks, Tony."

"Yeah, don't thank me just yet. You should probably talk to Thor."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Steve steps into the elevator and presses the button for the common area.

"Well, according to Thor you and I got married last night."

"We did _what_?" Steve turns to Tony, incredulous. The doors of the elevator open.

"There's the happy couple!" Clint quips. Natasha punches him in the arm.

"Got married." Tony steps out of the elevator. "Thor, isn't there a way we could get divorced in the tradition Asgardian style?"

"Not unless one of you is willing to die. The bonds of marriage are sacred on Asgard. We believe firmly in the saying 'til death do us part'." Thor shrugs. "You are part of each forever now."

"Well, it's not like it's legally binding on earth. We can just pretend like it never happened." Steve took his plate of bacon from Sam.

"On Asgard, a marriage is more than simply repeating words spoken by a priest. It is ritual of love. The two parties involved share everything with each other. They exchange pieces of their hearts."

"What does that mean?" Tony looked at Thor.

"It means you have a piece of the Captain's heart and he has a piece of yours. The same piece, of course, swapped."

The room went silent.

"I have part of Tony's heart in my chest?" Steve blinked.

"Yes, and he has a piece of yours. This helps to prevent resentful feelings within marriages. You will protect the part of yourself in your partner."

"How does that even _work_?" Tony threw his hands up in the air, as if accepting defeat.

"I'm not entirely sure. It's part of the ceremony." Thor shrugged. Tony sighed. This day was clearly only going to get worse.

He knew there was a reason everyone hated Mondays.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really, chapter one part two. Pepper and Fury find out.

Pepper takes the news surprisingly well. She's in Los Angeles, doing some sort of CEO _thing_ Tony is sure is very important but really it can wait because the fact that he got Vegas-style Asgardian married to Captain Freaking America is way more important right now.

"Tony, slow down. I can barely understand what you're saying."

"Married, Pep. We got married. Married!"

"Yes I gathered that, thank you." No one can quite convey an eye roll over the phone like Pepper Potts can. Tony smiles, despite himself.

"Are you mad?"

"Of course not, Tony. Surprised, yes, and a little annoyed at how no one on the team thought 'hey maybe this isn't the best idea' but not mad." Pepper was also the best at conveying the "mom voice" over the phone. Condescending, but full of love.

"We broke up almost three months ago, Tony. I know it's not exactly what you wanted, and neither is this, but who knows? At least it'll make you and Steve more cooperative team leaders. I have to go now, they're calling me into a meeting. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay." Tony waited to see that Pepper had hung up first, then pressed the button on his own phone. So his girlfriend didn't care that he was married. Ex-girlfriend.

Pepper had broken up with him almost three months ago, claiming that, yes she loved him very much, but he had to focus on being a super hero in New York, and she needed to focus on running an entire company in Los Angeles.

"It's for the best, Tony." Pepper had smiled, that smile that was just for him, and kissed his cheek. Tony had moved into the tower permanently, giving the keys to his Malibu mansion to Happy to give to Pepper. The house should belong to the CEO of Stark Industries, after all.

Tony sighs. One down, one overly judgey eye patch-wearing super-hero wrangler to go.

**~|~|~**

"YOU DID WHAT?" The vein in Fury's forehead is pulsing like crazy. Behind him, Tony can see Maria Hill trying to contain her laughter. Steve steps towards the director.

"Tony and I accidentally got married in Asgard last night while under the influence of some very strong alcohol."

"And why, exactly, did ANY of you think going and partying in Asgard would be a good idea?" Fury is incapable of talking calmly. Tony isn't complete sure "calm" is even in Fury's vocabulary.

"Thor said it was fun." Clint offers, shrugging slightly. Fury actually face-palms. Tony has to remember to ask JARVIS to play back the security footage so he can make that into a reaction .gif.

"Right. You're all idiots. I guess the real question is, why, Captain Rogers, did you think drinking Asgardian mead would be a good idea?" 

Steve doesn't answer. The rest of the team looks at the Captain. Tony feels almost sad, for no apparent, immediate reason.

"Listen, I don't have time for this. Some kid who can climb walls has popped up in Queens, and I need to deal with that before it becomes an issue." Fury turns around and walks out. Maria follows, shaking her head. Tony knows she's silently laughing.

"That went well." Bruce pulls out his phone. "He didn't call anyone a 'motherfucker'."

Clint nods, grabbing the PS4 controllers. He hands one to Thor, who follows the other to the couch. Tony can hear the GTA5 music start up.

"I need to build something." Tony walks over to the fridge, takes out a sandwich, and heads over to the elevators. His workshop is on the top floor, perfect for testing flight patterns.

"Be careful." Steve calls out after him. Tony nods, and gets into the elevator. It's only when he gets to the shop that Tony realizes Steve has never told him to be careful before. The sad feeling is gone, replaced with something Tony can't seem to describe. He wonders if Steve can feel it too. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two chapters are pretty short, but the next few will be longer, promise. (IDM)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing: Plot! And the one thing you're all here for. Too soon? Well...

The weeks passed, and the "Tony and Steve are married" issue faded into the background of bigger things. The Avengers were a team of heroes first, a team of people incessant on teasing Tony and Steve second. A close second.

"Hey Tony, aren't you gonna sit next to your husband?" Clint indicates the empty spot on the couch. Steve looks up from the book he's reading, and sighs.

"Well, also the only seat left since all of you are clearly purposely sitting in all the other seats." Steve goes back to reading his book. Tony shrugs, and sits next to him, turning on the television.

"I'm reading, Tony." Steve closes the book.

"It's time for the news, Cap." Tony turns the volume down. The rest of the team exchange glances. The rest of the evening passes by slowly, calmly. It's Natasha's turn to make dinner, and the smell of roasting onions wafts through the common area. Steve is absent-mindedly drawing figure-eights on Tony's leg with his fingers, and Tony actually kind of likes it. Kind of.

"Dinner's ready, boys." Natasha calls out. Clint runs over, followed by Thor. Tony gets up last, walking over to the kitchen. There are bowls on the counter, next to a steaming pot of something on the stove. Tony had never really been a fan of traditional Russian meals before, but Natasha makes them better than any maid ever could. The only seat left is next to Steve, again, like every night. The immaturity of the rest of the team is astounding, really. Tony sits down. There is silence for a few minutes, while everyone eats. Eventually, a conversation starts up about the pros and cons of using the official SHIELD data base to gather intel versus Tony's.

"Well, the SHIELD base is legal, unlike yours, Tony." Bruce points out.

"The SHIELD base is _barely_ legal." Steve counters. Another shared glance.

"And people wonder why I married you." Tony jokes. Steve looks down at his plate, and doesn't respond. Tony coughs, and goes back to eating. The awkward moment of silence is finally broken by Thor.

"Friends! I believe that tonight we had planned a Mario Kart tournament! Shall we play?"

"Yeah, let me get it set up." Tony jumps up from the table, making a clear effort to avoid Steve. The team follow suit, and soon a heated game of Mario Kart is under way. The game ends with Bruce being declared the winner, barely edging out Natasha on the Rainbow Road. Everyone turns in for the night, no immediate danger to the world being detected.

**~|~|~|~**

The next morning starts with coffee and bagels and a report on the news about giant robot bugs attacking the Chrysler Building. The team heads out. Tony, Thor, and Sam fly ahead to the building, with Sam being placed in charge of crowd control. The Hulk arrives a moment later, flinging a bug into the air.

"Who sent them?" Steve asks, using his shield to block a laser-blast from another one.

"Not sure." Tony shoots back at the bug. "JARVIS, do a scan."

"Already done, sir." A series of charts flash onto the Iron Man viewing screen, but no name.

"No one is taking credit." Tony informs the team.

"Then no one will care that we're gonna blow up all these bugs." Clint fires an explosive arrow, hitting one of the bugs right between the eyes. The bugs fight back, but are no match for the Avengers. After Tony talks to reporters, briefly, they all head back to the tower. Natasha convinces Steve to train with her, while Thor, Bruce, Sam, and Clint all start up a game of Halo 5. Tony goes up to his workshop. A new armor design is begging to be built and tested, and Tony could use a distraction.

He'd had another dream about Steve. The first one had happened a few days after they'd gotten "married." The dream itself had been fairly innocent, just Tony and Steve walking along through Central Park together holding hands. But they kept coming, getting dirtier and dirtier every time. The one from last night had been the raciest yet. Steve's body filled Tony's mind, his moans and gasps all Tony could think about. It wasn't fair, really. Tony hadn't asked to get married to Steve, let alone be married in a ceremony that somehow involved getting half of his heart switched with Steve's. Then again, since Tony was having these dreams, was it possible Steve was having them too? Was Steve waking up in the night, half-hard and covered in sweat? Did Tony really want to know?

**~|~|~|~**

The days passed. Tony was still having dreams, the team was still finding ways to get the "newlyweds" to be near each other, and robots shaped like bugs kept attacking famous New York City landmarks.

"Hulk, try not to break the Statue of Liberty, please." Tony winced as a bug crumpled against the side of the statue's face. The Hulk roared, which Tony took as a promise to be more careful.

"Where do these bugs keep coming from?" Natasha threw Steve's shield at one. It bounced off and Steve caught it.

"Tony, any leads?" Steve blocked a laser blast, and hurled his shield at the bug. The shield landed in the bug's head, shorting out the circuits. The bug dropped from the torch in the Statue's hand.

"Nothing, Cap. No logos, no codes, nothing." Tony shot at the bug crawling up the base of the Statue. "No one is taking credit for these things."

"Less yapping more zapping, Iron Man." Clint shot a series of arrows, each hitting their targets dead-on. A lighting blast from Thor took care of the group on the Statue's crown. The Hulk hurled the last bug into the ocean.

"Stupid bugs." Hulk grumbled. Reporters were already flooding the area, and Tony walked over to them, his armor folding back up into a suitcase.

"Iron Man, can you tell us more about these robots?" A reporter from _The Daily Bugle_ shoved a microphone in Tony's face.

"Well, Tanya, whoever is making them hasn't come forward. The bugs aren't hard to get rid of, but more and more keep showing up. The Avengers are working hard to find whoever is responsible, and in the mean time we will continue to protect the city." Tony beamed at the camera behind the reporter. A few other reporters asked follow up questions, but for the most part the group was satisfied.

**~|~|~|~**

Back at the tower, it was time for dinner. Bruce was making salads in the kitchen, humming a Johnny Cash song.

"Hey, Tony, can I talk to you?" Steve walked up.

"Yeah, Cap, what's up?"

"In private?"

"Sure." Tony walked over to the elevators, ignoring the kissy noises Sam was making. They got into the elevator and Tony pressed the button for his workshop.

"What did you want to talk about?" Tony asked. Steve looked at his reflection in the doors. Tony coughed. "Cap?"

"I was talking to Thor the other day, about this thing that happened to us. He said that if we ignore any feelings that may emerge, they'll eat away at us. We could go crazy if we ignore any possible feelings."

"What are you saying?"

"Tony, I've been having these dreams..."

Tony didn't let him finish. His lips met Steve's, near desperate for the touch. The elevator stopped, and the two men stumbled out. Tony hit up against a work table. Steve lifted him up onto it, still kissing him. It felt right. It felt like water after roaming through the desert for days. It felt like Christmas morning, and warm eggnog. It felt like love. Steve broke the kiss.

"Wow, Cap." Tony grinned. Steve smiled back.

"We should probably go back. Bruce made salad."

"Right. Salad." Tony kissed Steve again. Steve returned the kiss, though less intense than the first one.

"Come on, Tony." Steve walked over to the elevator. Tony followed, still grinning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every marriage begins with a honeymoon.

The rest of the team took the news well. At least, as well as a bunch of immature superheroes could take the news that they're leaders were now in a full-blown relationship.

"So are you guys gonna be moving into the same room? Can I have the empty one?" Clint hopped up onto the kitchen counter and snatched a chocolate-chip cookie.

"That empty room is mine, Barton." Sam shoved him off the counter.

"No one gets the empty room. There isn't an empty room." Tony rolled his eyes. "Steve and I are together now, but we still have our own spaces."

"That's right. This is new for both of us, and we don't want to rush anything." Steve handed Tony half of a cookie. Tony took it, smiling at Steve. The two looked at each other with clear heart eyes, acting as if no one else was even there.

"Right. Dibs on the room." Clint hopped back up on the counter. Before Sam could respond, an alarm rang out.

"Sir, reports are coming in about the Brooklyn Bridge being under attack."

"Don't tell me. Bugs?" Tony turned away from Steve and pressed a button on his watch. One of his armors appeared outside the building.

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"Avengers, you know what to do." Steve gave a Tony a quick kiss, then ran out to the Aven-Jet, followed by Bruce, Natasha, and Clint. Tony got his armor on and flew off to the scene, followed by Thor and Sam.

"Get the civilians off the bridge, Falcon." Tony picked up a bug and dropped it into the East River. Sam carried people over to the Manhattan side, then got to blasting robots. The Aven-Jet arrived. The Hulk roared as he exited the jet. Natasha and Clint hopped out, followed by Steve.

What happen next was a sight to behold. Steve and Tony were perfectly in sync. Every movement, every attack, complimented the other. It was almost at if they could read each other's minds. The bugs were destroyed faster than ever. After they got back to the tower, Tony and Steve disappeared. No one else wanted to know where the two had gone.

"Thor. Is a side-effect of Asgardian marriage weird mind-melding?" Clint asked.

"They can sense feelings from each other, so in a way they can read each other's minds." Thor nodded.

"Hey, if it means defeating bad guys quicker, I'm all for the mind reading." Sam turned on the PS4 and put in Grand Theft Auto Five.

**~|~|~|~**

Tony and Steve lay in Tony's bed, Tony's head resting on Steve's chest.

"Hey, Cap?"

"Yeah, Tony?"

"You up for another round?" Tony grinned.

"Dinner is gonna be ready soon." Steve shook his head.

"Not even a quick one?" Tony pouted. Steve kissed him, deep and slow. Tony returned the kiss, sliding his hands down Steve's sides towards-

"Tony." Steve broke the kiss and rolled out of the bed. "Come on, we have to go to dinner."

"Fine." Tony put his clothes back on. "But later..."

"My room. After dinner." Steve put his t-shirt back on and walked out to the elevator.

**~|~|~|~**

Tony and Steve disappeared again after dinner.

"So, how long is that going to last?" Bruce sipped a cup of peppermint tea and sat down next to Thor at the table.

"The Man of Iron and the Captain are in what you on Midgard call the 'honeymoon phase.' Their relationship is new, and being fueled in part by Asgardian Magic." Thor took a bit of a s'mores Pop Tart.

"Will it end?" Clint asked.

"It will fade into a more tolerable state, in time. They'll act more like an 'old married couple' soon."

"Let's hope so." Natasha sighed.

**~|~|~|~**

Steve woke up to Tony sneaking out of his room.

"What are you doing?"

"I was going to get a midnight snack. I didn't want to wake you."

"I'll go with you." Steve got out of the bed, and went with Tony down to the common area. They shared a slice of chocolate cake, sitting next to each other at the kitchen island.

"Hey, Cap."

"Yeah, Tony?"

"I love you." Tony leaned forward and kissed him, quick and light.

"Tony, I-"

"Steve." A low, slightly gravelly voice came from the shadow near the windows.

"JARVIS, intruder alert!" Tony jumped up.

"Wait, JARVIS cancel that alert. Raise the lights." Steve walked towards a shadowy figure. The lights turned on. A man was standing near the windows. He had long hair, a metal arm, and was bleeding slightly.

"Bucky?" Steve rushed towards him.

"I need your help." The man said, before he collapsed into Steve's arms. Steve carried the man to the couch, and lay him down.

"Tony, get a med kit." Steve pushed the man's hair back, revealing a deep cut just below his hairline.

"Right, of course." Tony punched a code into the wall comm, and a First Aid Kit emerged. Tony handed the kit to Steve, who started to dress the wound.

"Is that The Winter Soldier?" Tony asked, watching Steve. A strange, almost sick feeling started to sink in.

"Bucky Barnes, yeah. My best friend." Steve finished cleaning Bucky up. He stroked Bucky's hair, almost lovingly. The sick feeling Tony had grew slightly stronger.

"Mmm. Steve." Bucky groaned, coming to.

"Careful, Bucky." Steve helped him sit up, then sat down next to him.

"I need your help." Bucky grasped Steve's arm  

"What's the matter?" Steve stroked the arm, in the same absent-minded way he would draw figure eights on Tony's leg. Tony but his lip and looked away.

"HYDRA." Bucky looked at Steve.

"They're gonna attack Los Angeles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HYDRA. Bucky. Tony can't really decide which is worse.

"HYDRA? You're sure that's what he said?" Natasha pulled a Stark-Phone out of her pocket and called Maria Hill. It was the next morning. The entire team congregated in the kitchen while Bucky slept in Steve's room.

"Definitely, HYDRA." Tony poured a cup of black coffee. He hadn't gone back to sleep since Bucky had arrived. Steve squeezed Tony's arm, then went to go check on Bucky. Again.

"Maria confirms. SHIELD's been following a lead." Natasha slid the phone across the island to Tony. "This is the most likely target."

"Of course it is." Tony sighed. He drained his coffee in one gulp, then poured another cup. The rest of the team looked at Natasha's phone to see a picture of Stark Industries Building- Los Angeles.

**~|~|~|~**

 "SHIELD Agents have already been sent to handle the situation. It's none of your concern." Nick Fury stood on the deck of the Heli-Carrier, arms crossed. The Aven-Jet was parked nearby, and the entire team, plus Bucky, was currently being lectured by the Director.

"It's my company, that makes it my concern." Tony argued. Clint's nods of agreement were cut short by a glare from Fury.

"I want the Avengers to stay out of this." Fury turned his glare to Tony. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal. We're still gonna go." Tony shrugged. His faceplate slid back down, and Iron Man took off heading west. The rest of the team glanced between where Tony had disappeared beyond the horizon, and where Fury, and the pulsating vein in his forehead, was standing. Finally, Steve spoke.

"Tony's right. We can't just sit back and do nothing. Bucky came to us with this information. I'm sorry sir, but we're going." Steve walked towards the Aven-Jet. The rest of the team followed. Thor and Falcon flew off, following Tony. The Aven-Jet wasn't far behind.

Tony landed on the roof of the SIB-LA, and let his armor fold back into a suitcase. He walked into the building and towards Pepper's office.

"Good morning s- you're Mr. Stark!" The receptionist, a young girl Tony had never met, gasped when she saw him. He turned on the charm, and smiled at her.

"Is Pepper in? I need to speak with her."

"She's busy right now, but I can let her know you're here."

"Would you? Thanks." Tony flashed another grin. The girl actually giggled as she walked into the office. A moment later she reappeared.

"Ms. Potts is extremely busy right now, and she doesn't have time to see you." The girl pouted slightly. Tony walked up to her desk. Her nameplate said Rachel G. on it.

"Rachel. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I know who you are. You're Tony Stark. You're Iron Man!"

"Right. And what name is on this building?"

"Um. Stark."

"Right. And so, would you say this is my building?"

"I guess, but-"

"And would you say that, since this is my building, I can visit whoever I want at any time I want, inside of it."

"Well, I mean-"

"Glad to see we're on the same page." Tony walked past her and into the office.

"Tony, what part of 'busy' do you not understand?" Pepper sighed. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, there's something I have to deal with. I'll call you back." Pepper pressed a button on her conference phone.

"Hi, Pep." Tony smiled at her.

"Oh no. That smile doesn't work on me." Pepper got up and walked over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"SHIELD has reason to believe that HYDRA is going to attack the building."

Pepper nodded. "Alright. What's the plan?"

"Evacuate the building. The team will fight off any HYDRA goons that try to get in."

"I'll send out an e-mail." Pepper typed something on her Stark-Phone, then grabbed her bag. "It was good to see you, Tony."

"Hey, we could get together later. Dinner?"

"Sounds lovely. Give me a call when you're done."

"Deal." He kissed her cheek, then put his com-link in. "Guys?"

"We're here, Tony." It was Clint.

"I'll meet you on the roof. Any action?"

"Nothing yet." Natasha answered. Tony ran up to the roof. He expected to see Steve, waiting for him. Instead, his husband was standing next to Bucky, whispering to him. Tony felt his stomach turn. Steve looked at Tony, and smiled.

"Everything go well with Pepper?" Steve asked. Tony nodded.

"Movement coming from the south! We've got tanks." Sam announced through the coms. Tony put his armor back on, and flew up to see what they were dealing with. Two tanks, and about 3 dozen agents on foot, we're making their way towards the southern entrance of the building.

"It's go time, everyone." Tony flew down towards the group, firing laser blasts at the first tank. Falcon and Thor followed suit, aiming for the other tank. The Hulk landed on the first tank, then picked it up and swung it around, hitting several HYDRA goons before tossing it into the air. Natasha and Clint made their way through the group, disarming and disabling as they went.

"Where's Steve?" Tony glanced around the scene, but saw no sign of Captain America.

"He and Bucky are making sure the building is evacuated." Natasha punched a HYDRA agent in the jaw, and he crumpled to the floor. Tony fired a few more blasts at random HYDRA agents, then flew back towards the building.

"What's up with Stark?" Clint asked, firing a net arrow at three HYDRA goons. The net wrapped around them, trapping them. Natasha shrugged.

"Jealousy." Thor answered. The rest of the team, besides Hulk, shared a look.

**~|~|~|~**

A quick scan of the building told Tony that there were only two people left inside- Steve and Bucky. They were on the stair case between the floor Tony was on and the floor below it. Tony walked down the stairs, figuring he would meet the two halfway. Instead, Tony came across Steve, arms wrapped around Bucky, standing on the staircase. Steve kissed the top of Bucky's head, and rubbed circles in his back, oblivious to the fact that Tony was only a few feet from him. Tony felt sick. Here was the man that owned his heart, embracing someone else. Tony went back up the stairs, back to the roof, and flew off towards New York.

It was only when he was over Kansas that Tony remembered he had promised Pepper dinner. He made a u-turn in midair and went back to Los Angeles.

The team was gathered on the street near the Stark Building, watching as a group of SHIELD Agents escorted the HYDRA Agents away. Bruce, freshly human again, sat on the curb with a shock blanket wrapped around him. Natasha was talking with Maria Hill about, Tony had to assume, the fight. Tony landed near them.

"Everything okay, Tony? You flew off pretty fast." Sam walked over to him, and handed him a cup of coffee. "Compliments of SHIELD."

Tony let the armor fold back down, and nodded his thanks to Sam before taking a long sip.

"Yeah, I went to check if there were any other HYDRA guys around."

"Okay." Sam shrugged, not entirely believing the lie. Tony looked around for Steve, and found him now talking to Maria. Tony walked up to them.

"Agent. Cap."

Steve smiled at Tony, then turned back to Maria.

"As you can see, the situation is under control. The HYDRA Agents have been contained, no excessive damage was done, and no civilians were injured. Tell Fury I said 'you're welcome'." Tony grinned, forgetting for a moment what Steve had been doing before. That last comment was a direct result of Tony's influence over Steve.

"Thank you for your help, Rogers. Next time, I'll make sure Fury informs the Avengers about any HYDRA plans we receive." Maria typed something on her Stark-Tablet and walked over to the waiting car.

"Hey, Tony." Steve was still smiling, but Tony's good mood had shifted back to jealousy. "Ride back to New York in the jet with me?"

"I actually promised Pepper we'd get dinner tonight, so I'm gonna be staying here longer." Tony shrugged. Steve frowned slightly.

"Okay. Well, when will you be home?"

"I don't know. Probably late."

"Alright. Tell Pepper I said hi." Steve leaned in for a kiss, which Tony dryly returned. Steve walked over to the Aven-Jet, where Bucky was waiting. Tony turned away and walked back into the building. He took the elevator back up to Pepper's office, walking right past Rachel to get in. He nodded to Pepper and motioned for her to finish her call, while he took a seat on one of the chairs. He pulled out his phone and started playing Candy Crush. Finally, Pepper ended the call.

"I only have a few more things to do, then we can go get dinner. Did you make a reservation?" Pepper arranged a stack of papers on her desk, then pressed a button on her conference phone. Rachel came in, and took the papers out.

"I always have a standing reservation at Benito's." Tony answered.

"I haven't been there since-"

"Yeah, me neither."

An awkward silence filled the room. The last time either one of them had been to the world famous Italian restaurant, was the night they had broken up.

"It'll be nice to go again." Pepper finally said. Tony nodded. There was no reason to act strangely. He and Pepper where still close friends, after all. The break up had been mutual.

**~|~|~|~**

Tony, not for the last time, thanked his sober self for installing a "too drunk to fly" protocol into all of the Iron Man armors. The suit auto-piloted him back to the Avengers Tower in New York. Tony stumbled into his room, half-noticing that his bed was empty. He collapsed into the mattress, and went out like a light. He woke up a few hours later, hungover and starving. After taking the Perrier-and-pills cure, Tony went downstairs to the common area. He poured himself a cup of coffee.

"JARVIS have some donuts delivered. Three dozen should be good."

"The usual order then, sir." The robot voice answered.

"You got it." Tony poured another cup of coffee. He looked around the empty room. Tony was usually the first to wake up. It was nice, being able to take a break from the craziness of the rest of the team for a little bit. Tony poured another cup, deciding he'd go see Steve, since he hadn't since the day before.

Tony took the cup, mixed with a dash of whole cream just the way Steve liked it, up to Steve's room. The door slid open, and Tony dropped the cup.

Lying in Steve's bed, with Steve's arm draped over him, was Bucky. Both men were shirtless, though, thankfully, had pants on. Steve stirred awake at the sound of shattering porcelain.

"Tony?" Steve started to get up, but Tony was already gone.

Tony ran to his workshop, locking the elevator to that floor so no one could follow him. He sank to the floor, fighting back tears. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything ends. 
> 
> /// Sorry for the delay, guys! School has been the worst. Thanks to everyone who has read, left kudos, commented, shared, liked it! xoxo

"Tony!" Steve banged on the doors again, desperate to try and explain the situation to his husband. Tony ignored him. It had been almost two hours. Natasha had hacked into the security system allowing the rest of the team to watch the drama unfold from the Common Area. The donuts Tony had ordered were gone. Bucky had left first thing that morning.

"Please open the door." Steve leaned against the cool metal. A beat. The doors slid open.

"Why?" Tony glared at Steve.

"Bucky's my best friend, Tony. He's the only person left from back then. From before." Steve slid a hand through his hair. "I thought I'd lost him, and then there he was. And he needs me."

"Do you love him?" Steve looked at Tony. The latter had his arms crossed, but not in anger. More like he was trying to keep himself from falling apart. Steve sighed.

"Yes."

"Be with him."

"Tony."

"Steve, if he's who you want, then you deserve to be with him. I love you too much to keep you tied down. I know you don't love me."

"That's not... Tony."

"Steve, just go."

"Thor said-"

"I know what Thor said." Tony turned his back to Steve. Silence hung in the air, heavy like wet clothes on a line.

Steve walked out.

**~|~|~|~**

Another robot bug attack distracted the team from what had just happened. Tony blasted the creatures, not seeming to care about keeping Radio City Music Hall from getting caught in the crossfire. Tony grabbed one of the bugs, flying off to the tower with it.

Once the rest of the bugs had been dealt with, the rest of the team arrived at the tower to find Tony, disheveled and covered in grime, pressing a series of buttons in the inner-mechanics of the robot.

"Everything okay, Tony?" Sam asked, hesitantly.

"I reprogrammed it. It's gonna lead us to wherever it came from." Tony ripped a wire out of the bug, throwing it on to the kitchen island. There was blood on his fingertips. The team exchanged a glance.

"Almost got it." Tony muttered. A moment passed, then Tony closed the panel on the underside of the bug. Its eyes lit up, and it scurried down from the island, across the Common Area, and out the window, flying west. Tony followed, an Iron Man suit catching him when he walked out the window.

"I guess we're going after the bug." Clint shrugged. The team followed Tony.

**~|~|~|~**

The bug finally stopped somewhere in Oklahoma. A large, cylindrical building stood in the middle of a field. The bug scuttled towards the building and disappeared into a hole in the wall.

"JARVIS, scan for weak spots, life, security."

"No signs of life. The building is guarded by a large electrical gradient. Nearly 90 thousand volts."

"Tony, what the hell?" Natasha walked out of the Aven-Jet, followed by the rest of the team.

"This is where they come from. The bugs." Tony landed near the rest of them. Bruce sat down on the ramp of the jet. 

"Do you have a plan?" Clint asked.

"I'm going to fly into the building, and disarm whatever is making them."

"Scans are showing a deadly electrical gradient around the building." Sam pressed a few buttons on his own suit, and a 3-D schematic of the building popped up.

"90 thousand volts! Tony, are you kidding?" Steve turned to Tony, incredulous.

"The suit will protect me." A message at the bottom of the view screen popped up (chance of survival: 1/10000). "I'm going in."

Tony flew up from the group, and toward the building. The electrical gradient turned on when he got within 200 feet.

"Stark! Get out of there!" Natasha yelled into the comm. Tony turned his off.

100 feet.

50.

20.

10.

One foot.

Tony flew through the gradient, and everything went dark.

**~|~|~|~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new beginning 
> 
> // Well, this is it! Thank you a million times to everyone who has left kudos, commented, subscribed, even just clicked on this little fic. I'm glad that so many of you decided to read my headcanon and liked it.  
> XOXO

Steve watched in horror as Tony flew into the tangle of electricity surrounding the building. At the same moment the Iron Man armor fell to the ground, a searing pain ripped through Steve's chest, and he realized that Tony was dying.

"We need to get that gradient down!" Steve clutched his chest, each moment feeling more and more of Tony slipping away from him. He had to get to him. He had to tell him.

"There's no way to get it down from out here. It's controlled from inside the building." Sam looked at Steve, worry clear on his face. "Someone has to go through it."

"Thor! Can you open a hole in the gradient?" Steve looked at the Asgardian.

"Aye, but not for long. This is not common lightning." Thor nodded to Steve, and flew up into the air. He held Mjolnir aloft, awaiting the signal to open a hole in the gradient.

"I'm going in." Steve unclipped his shield from his back. He ran towards the gradient, as fast as he could.

"Now, Thor!" Steve shouted into his comm. Thor swung Mjolnir, pulling up a section of the gradient. A hole, just large enough for Steve to jump through, appeared. He went in shield-first, the hole closing up just behind him. Steve ran over to where Tony lay, the Iron Man armor dark and singed.

"Tony." Steve gasped, kneeling down next to him. He knew he had to get the armor off in order to help Tony.

**~|~|~|~**

A week or so after they had kissed the first time, Tony had shown Steve how to remove the armor in an emergency.

"You know how I love to put myself in danger." Tony grinned, deactivating an older armor. The suit went dark, collapsing over the workbench.

"I wish you wouldn't." Steve frowned slightly. Tony leaned over and kissed him.

"Well, now I know you'll always be there to save me."

**~|~|~|~**

Steve tore the faceplate off, reaching down behind Tony's right ear. He pressed the button hidden there, and the rest of the armor hissed open. Steve pulled it off, tossing the pieces aside. Tony was still dying. Steve pressed down on Tony's chest, down-up, down-up, down-up.

"Please, wake up. Tony, please." Steve pleaded.

Down-up, down-up, down-up.

Breathe.

There was no change. Steve blinked away tears, going back to the chest compressions.

Down-up.

Down-up.

Down-up.

"We've got a problem!" Clint yelled into the comms. Steve looked up to see thousands of robot bugs pour out of a hole in the building. They scurried past him and Tony, out of the gradient, and towards the Aven-Jet.

"Take them out!" Natasha shot a stream of stingers at the bugs. The rest of the team sprang into action. Bruce roared into the Hulk, picking up a handful and throwing them towards the horizon.

"Cap, work on getting Stark alive, then get that gradient down so we can get out of here!" Natasha yelled.

Down-up, down-up, down-up.

Breathe.

"Tony, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about everything. Tony, please, wake up. I need to tell you that I-"

Tony coughed, his eyes flying open. Steve gasped, tears of relief falling down his cheeks. He pulled Tony up into a hug. Tony leaned into him, breath shallow.

"We need to get the gradient down, and stop those bugs." Steve said, after a moment, remembering the rest of the team.

"Inside the building." Tony struggled to sit up fully. Steve helped him stand.

"How do we get inside?"

"Door... North side." Tony whispered. Steve helped Tony walk to it, kicking it open easily. "There." Tony pointed at a panel of buttons and switches in the middle of the room they had entered.

"How do I shut it off?" Steve sat Tony down by the door.

"JARVIS had the code."

Steve glanced at the panel. He grabbed his shield, and swung it at the panel, lodging it into the middle. Sparks flew out of the panel, then the lights on it all shut off.

"It's gone!" Sam shouted.

"What about the bugs?" Steve asked.

"Machine in the main hall." Tony murmured.

Steve ran down the hall, coming up to an assembly line of robot parts. Bugs crawled off of the end of the conveyor belt. Steve threw his shield at it, breaking the mechanical arms that were assembling the bugs. Production stopped.

"Look for a shut-off switch." Sam said into the comm. Steve glanced around, and saw it. A large gray lever, near the ceiling. He threw the shield up, knocking the lever from on to off.

"They're all deactivating! Get Stark and get out!" Natasha shouted. Steve ran back to where he had left Tony. He picked up Tony, and ran to the Aven-Jet.

"Hey, Cap?" Tony whispered, once they were in the air. Steve was holding his hand, as Tony lay on a medical cot.

"Yeah, Tony?"

"Why did you save me?"

"Because I love you."

"You love me?" Tony's eyes widened. Steve squeezed Tony's hand.

"I agreed to marry you, didn't I?"

"What?"

"That night, on Asgard? I said yes when you asked me to marry you."

"You were drunk."

"Not that drunk. A little buzzed, maybe. We had just stopped another alien invasion." Steve grinned.

"You... You loved me even then?"

"I've loved you since you flew a nuclear warhead into a black hole."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know if you felt the same way. Thor told me about an Asgardian truth serum. It makes you do what you really want to. After you drank it, you asked me to marry you. That's when I knew you felt the same way."

"We call that tequila on earth, you know." Tony grinned. "Of course I loved you. I still do." But what about Bucky?"

"I love him, too. It's different, though. I don't want to marry him."

"He's important to you."

"So are you." Steve stroked the back of Tony's hand with his thumb.

"You love me more?" Tony asked.

"More than anything." Steve replied. 

Tony kissed Steve, pulling him down. The jealousy he had been feeling waned, now that he knew how Steve really felt.

"Hey, lovebirds, we're at the hospital." Clint announced over the jet's PA system. Steve broke the kiss.

"Well, Cap, if it means anything, Bucky can still sleep in your bed." Tony grinned.

"What do you mean?" Steve looked at Tony, quizzical.

"You'll be sleeping in mine from now on." Tony kissed Steve again, breaking apart when a nurse came in to wheel him into the hospital.

**~|~|~|~**

**Two Months Later**

**~|~|~|~**

Tony woke up in Steve's arms, letting himself listen to his husband's steady breathing for a moment before he got out of their bed. He kissed Steve's forehead, then went down to the Common Area. He was halfway through his second cup of coffee when Steve arrived, yawning. Tony handed him a cup, and was met with a sleepy smile. They say next to each other on the couch, sipping their coffees.

"Hey, Tony?"

"Yeah, Cap?"

Steve leaned over and kissed him.

"Good morning."

**~|~|~|~**


End file.
